Hi folks I'm a lifelong O gauge railroader. I have MTH railking locomotives,I i'm in the Philadelphia area of the USA and when we go to small local shows I know what I'm looking, at what's a good deal and what isn't a good deal and what to look for in an engine and all these places always have test tracks. A year ago my wife started a 3X4 N gauge layout and for pretty much the last year we've concentrated a lot on the scenery and building and of it. We are using a Kato controller and Kato track, and so far my wife has one Bachman steam engine that runs fine no complaints. For a second engine we're considering getting a Switcher, And my question to you people is, is there anything special I should be looking at if I'm gonna be looking at one at a show. I plan on putting it on the test track and is there anything else you guys would be doing other than that And also more importantly price, what would be a good deal when let's say a Conrail or union pacific switcher non DCC, if you came home and told your wife I got it pretty good deal on it what would be your price point? Thank you everybody Joe
I went to a small train show just before last Thanksgiving and found an N scale Atlas GP30 lettered for the Burlington in excellent condition for $45. The only drawback was it had Rapido couplers, but I had MT couplers at home to install in their place. I see them for $60-$75 quite often, so that felt like a good deal to me. Plus it was the same model and road number, 975, that I got from Arnold/Rapido in 1970 when I bought my first N scale trains, so that made it an extra good deal for me.
Hi Burlington Bob thanks for responding, The couples are another questionable area for me, it seems that the hook ones are for the newer stuff and the ones that look like half a rectangle seem to be called the rapido, i have a website on the ID difference, my wife's bachmann steam engine has the hook style, is that what i should be looking for?
The "hook style" couplers resemble prototypical couplers and are on most stuff manufactured since about 2000, or so. The Rapido couplers are not compatible with MT couplers, so they have to be converted to operate with them. Go to MicroTrains website to checkout their couplers. Another excellent resource that you should refer to, especially before buying any used equipment is http://www.spookshow.net/. This is like the Consumers Report for N scale equipment, with all the info you would need to make informed decisions before buying. Good luck at the train shows!
I do keep an eye on the swap meet section, I just haven't used it yet to buy anything Spookshow i did not know about.I saved it and i will be reading it Thanks guys
I think you've got the main points nailed right there. If no test track then at least a 9 volt battery with some test leads to see if it can take power. I would imagine you've been up to Allentown for the Spring Thaw/First Frost shows, which are around 80 percent O Scale/O Gauge and S Scale/S Gauge. My wife and I hit the Spring Thaw show in 2022 and there was also a fair amount of N Scale... but you had to know your prices.
If you stick with Kato and Atlas, you probably will get a good running engine. LifeLike had a good running SW-9 switcher. Bachmann has several as well (S-4, NW-2, 44 ton and 70 ton). Use Spookshow and make sure that it is the manufacturer listed. Example: Atlas S-2 is a great switcher but the Arnold S-2 will probably have cracked gears and not run very well if at all.
My favourite N scale diesel yard goat is the Atlas Baldwin VO-1000. It has excellent slow speed control and is a pretty good puller. It works the most demanding job on my pike, the Short Creek Junction station switcher. My second favourite is the Kato NW-2. There have been complaints of components' cracking on this one, but none of my two have shown this, Y-E-T. The LL SW is pretty good, but its weak point is those contact strips that are mounted under the walkway. If Atlas ever re-issues it, hopefully it will correct that problem. The B-mann NW-2 and S-4 are pretty good, but I never kept mine long enough. The same for the 70-tonner. The B-mann 44 tonner is very good. The drawback to B-mann's GE switchers is their tiny footprint. They have a habit of stalling, even on straight and level, due to poor contact. I find them better running in pairs. The latest edition of the B-mann MDT, in the plastic box, is not bad, either, for what it is. I had a pair hardwired together that ran well and did not stall. B-mann decoders tend to fry on DC. You simply wire around them when they do fry. The Atlas S-2 is pretty good, but, I did not keep mine long. I have no experience with Rapido's EMD switcher or the Atlas SW-1500. Among the older, you have the Arnold S-2. It runs well until the gears crack, as another poster has noted. The Con-Cor SW-whatever is not my favourite. The TRIX FM runs reliably and pulls well but has horrid slow speed control. The Arnold Baldwin is horribly out of scale and runs poorly. Avoid the older MDTs from the various manufacturers, including B-mann. The same goes for the Atlas Davenport. I probably left out one or two.
There were two different versions of the Con-Cor whatever. The first was made by Rivarossi, and also sold by Atlas (before Con-Cor). Avoid it. The second had a chassis made by Kato (but still a Rivarossi body). It runs just fine, but has a REALLY fast top speed.
THIS THIS THIS. Do NOT buy any loco rated C when starting out. IN fact, better to stick with A. Have this website in your phone bookmarked. http://www.spookshow.net/locos.html
